Kampar tragedy: Bridge was illegal, teachers missing

Some of the reasons why the tragedy occured. Seems like the teachers were at fault too but the problem is that the bridge did not have any safety inspections before being used by the public.

IPOH: The collapsed suspension bridge near the SK Kuala Dipang in Kampar that caused three schoolchildren to drown was an illegal structure and the teachers who were supposed to have been supervising them were not present, said an independent committee investigating the matter.

Perak Pakatan Rakyat’s investigation committee member Chang Lih Kang alleged that construction of the bridge had not gone through the proper procedure and that the Kampar District Council and Land Office were not informed of it.

“There were no submission of plans for the structure or any approval by departments such as Health, Fire and Rescue, the Enviromment, and Drainage and Irrigation,” Chang told reporters at a press conference here on Friday.

“The private consulting engineer must also issue a Certificate of Compliance and Completion to the district council and land office, which said they did not receive such a certificate,” he added.

Chang said the probe team had learnt about the matter after meeting the district officer, chief assistant district officer and the land office on Tuesday.

He stressed they were not blaming any parties yet and were merely stating facts gathered from the district council and land office.

Last month, three primary school pupils attending a 1Malaysia camp near the school -- N. Dina Deve and M. Devatharshini, both 11, and 12-year-old V. Divyashree -- drowned after the suspension bridge they were on collapsed into the Sungai Kampar. Nineteen other schoolchildren survived the tragedy.

Committee chairman V. Sivakumar also claimed that the three teachers who were supposed to have been supervising the schoolchildren when they were crossing the suspension bridge had gone “missing” prior to the incident.

Sivakumar said Devatharshini’s elder brother, Sarveswaran, who also took part in the camp, had told him this after a visit to the deceased’s home in Mambang Diawan recently.

“The schoolchildren were briefed on the rules on crossing the suspension bridge,” said Sivakumar, adding that only six students were allowed on the bridge at one time.

“The teachers who were on duty went missing and the 22 students got on the ill-fated suspension bridge without supervision,” he claimed.

Sivakumar also said that most of the teachers were attending a briefing inside the school building when the tragedy occurred.

The 1Malaysia camp was initially open to all post-UPSR pupils, he said.

“However, they did not have enough participants and they opened up the camp to Primary Four and Five students as well,” he added.

When contacted, state executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the Education Ministry-appointed committee tasked to investigate the tragedy was still probing the matter and urged the public to be patient.

“It is pointless to speculate now until the report is ready,” he said.

Kampar district officer Ahmad Kamaruzzaman Hamzah could not be reached for comments.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/11/6/nation/20091106161852&sec=nation

Kampar Bridge Tragedy :Sorrow

Follow up to the Kampar bridge tragedy which caused the death of 3 students which shows us that good workmanship is a must in building of new structures to prevent anymore tragedy from happening. 

GOPENG: It was an emotional scene at drowned victim V. Divyashree’s home in Taman Changkat Golf here as her father chased away her schoolmates.

The grief-stricken father seemed on the verge of a breakdown as he went on a rampage and yelled for the group of pupils from SJK (T) Gopeng to leave.

”Don’t send children to school. They are all killing them,” K. Vasudevan, 34, a technician in Kuala Lumpur, repeatedly screamed as a few men tried to restrain him and calm him down.

Crying hysterically, the dozen schoolchildren obeyed and waited at a house opposite.

”Her father was very upset to see us. He said that he didn’t want to see anyone wearing school uniforms.

”But then, we only wanted to say our goodbyes to Divyashree,” said one of them.

The children were later ushered into the house when Vasudevan finally calmed down and remained outside the house.

Divyashree’s 41-year-old mother R. Kanakam fainted a few times due to grief. She was briefly warded at the Kampar Hospital earlier after fainting outside its mortuary.

Gopeng MIC branch Wanita chief P. Sarojini, who is a close friend of the family, said the couple could not accept the death of their eldest daughter as they had both been confident that she would return safely.

”They had both believed she was merely lost in some jungle. Day after day, they would wait at the site in Kuala Dipang for her return.

”The truth only hit them at the mortuary when it was confirmed that the body found was of their daughter,” she said.

Sarojini said Divyashree was an intelligent and obedient girl, and that she had been her parent’s hope for a brighter future.

”On her own, she would wake up at 4am in the morning to study. She would always tell me how good it would be if she could get RM100 for every A she obtains in her UPSR examination so that she can give the money to her parents.

”In fact, she was the one who encouraged her parents to take part in the Human Resource Ministry retraining scheme in Kuala Lumpur just so that the family could lead a better life.

”She did not mind being left behind with her younger sister to stay with their neighbour,” Sarojini said.

The scene at the home of M. Devatharshini in Taman Diawan, Mambang Diawan here, was relatively calmer.

Her father K. Mageswaran, whose eyes had been swollen from too much crying, said his daughter’s death seemed surreal.

”Sometimes, I have to sit and think if all this is real. I keep wishing that it is just a dream.

”She was our only daughter and I loved her the most,” the father said, breaking down into tears.

The last time he saw his daughter alive was when he had arrived home at noon as Devatharshini was about to leave on her bicycle.

”She had clothes and things packed in her basket. She started crying when she saw me and pleaded with me to allow her to go to the camp.

”Because I loved her, I gave her permission.

”She wrote a letter to her mother and placed it on the altar, begging for her mother’s forgiveness and blessings,” he added.

Mageswaran later received RM3,000 from the nearby Ngan Yin Groundnut Factory Sdn Bhd where his wife, R. Nagaratana works as a packer.

Perak executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, who visited both families, told reporters that the state government would help out the victims’ families with a contribution of RM10,000 each.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/29/nation/20091029182726&sec=nation